71 Illegal Refineries shut, 400,000 litres of stolen Crude seized in one month

By Sumaila Ogbaje, Abuja

The Nigerian Navy says it dismantled 71 illegal refinery sites and seized more than 400,000 litres of stolen crude oil across the Niger Delta in July 2025, as part of intensified efforts to combat crude oil theft and economic sabotage.

The monthly operational update, released on Friday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, revealed that the clampdown was carried out under Operation Delta Sanity.

According to Adams-Aliu, the offensive led to the destruction of 120 dugout pits, illegal storage facilities, and equipment used for oil theft in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.

In total, the operations denied oil thieves access to approximately 411,400 litres of crude oil, 87,825 litres of illegally-refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 72,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), and 21,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

On July 4, personnel uncovered and destroyed illegal refining sites at Ogba, Egbema, and Ndoni in Rivers State, where they recovered more than 66,000 litres of suspected crude oil and 40,000 litres of refined AGO.

Further raids on July 14 in Akwa Ibom and Delta States led to arrests and the seizure of petroleum products linked to smuggling attempts to Cameroon. The Navy also discovered underground reservoirs containing thousands of litres of stolen crude oil.

In one of the largest single operations of the month, naval forces dismantled two major illegal refining operations in Biseni Community, Bayelsa, between July 22 and 23, recovering over 450,000 litres of crude oil.

Six suspected smugglers were arrested during the month, while several wooden boats used to transport stolen PMS and other petroleum products were intercepted.

Adams-Aliu reaffirmed the Navy’s determination under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, to eliminate oil theft and bolster national crude production. He noted that recent operations have contributed to Nigeria’s oil output surpassing 1.8 million barrels per day, as confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

“The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in ensuring maritime safety, deterring illegal activities, and safeguarding national security within the country’s maritime domain,” he said.

Data from the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) shows that between 2009 and 2020, Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil worth N16.25 trillion to theft.

However, losses have fallen significantly—from 36.69 million barrels in 2022 to 7.68 million barrels in 2023—due to improved resource management and enhanced security measures.